It's been six months since the US launched its war with Iran. Donald Trump said it would be ‘over quickly’.
Instead, it has dragged on, with the military might of the US held at bay by a force a fraction of its size. The Strait of Hormuz remains at a near stand still, making oil prices volatile and, in turn, impacting the global economy.
Rising prices back home, embarrassing reports of dismal conditions for forces aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, and a failure to end the conflict quickly has helped the Iran war become the most unpopular in modern American history… and it has only taken six months.
In this episode of FourSight, we examine what's actually happened to Trump’s stated war aims: to reduce Iran's missile capabilities, end its nuclear programme, and force regime change. We ask what this war has cost America in military strength, regional alliances, and Trump's own approval ratings.
Is there any way the President or his so-called Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, can claim some kind of victory or will this foreign policy failure define Trump’s second-term in office?
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CHAPTERS:
00:00 - 01:35 - Iran is the most unpopular US war
01:36 - 02:45 - What were Trump's war goals?
02:46 - 04:56 - Iran's missile capabilities
04:57 - 06:46 - The nuclear threat
06:47 - 08:17 - The Strait of Hormuz
08:18 - 10:06 - Regime change and economic warfare
10:07 - 14:27 - How this war has damaged US credibility
14:28 - 16:40 - Could the US leave the Middle East?
16:41 - 23:10 - Interview with Bill Kristol
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Our thanks to Rosemary Kelanic, Michael O’Hanlon, Arash Azizi and Bill Kristol for giving us their time and expertise for this episode.
Presenter: Kiran Moodley
Producer: Harriet Tatham
Editors: Matthew Lucas and Donna-Marie Walton
Motion: Mike Smith
Series Editor: Kieron Bryan
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